Saquon Barkley wants paid.
The former Penn State and current New York Giants running back also wants a long-term contract and stability to come with it. What Barkley doesn’t want is playing under the franchise tag this season which comes with a $10.1 million salary figure.
According to ESPN reports, Barkley is looking for a contract in the neighborhood of San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey who’s bringing home around $16.1 million per year.
Saquon Barkley has made it clear the franchise tag is undesirable. I’m told his availability for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys will be in serious question if he does not get a long-term deal from the Giants.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) July 12, 2023
Of course, Barkley himself has chimed in to deem that inaccurate based on the two caps in this quote tweet.
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) July 12, 2023
League sources told Pro Football Talk the Giants have allegedly offered Barkley a contract worth $13 million per year including over $26 million over the first two years of the deal. It was a deal struck before Barkley was tagged and has since not returned to the bargaining table
It’s rumored Barkley could be getting in the neighborhood of $14 million and could get a deal done by Monday according to Craig Carton of The Carton Show.
.@craigcartonlive says that the Giants will sign Saquon Barkley to a long-term deal around $14M/year 🚨💰
“There is a better than 50/50 shot that a deal gets done by Monday, and it is trending toward the deal getting done.” pic.twitter.com/PA0W9s8kFC
— The Carton Show (@TheCartonShow) July 13, 2023
This is important now for a multitude of reasons. Barkley has made it well known he doesn’t intend to play under the franchise tag, meaning regular season games could be in jeopardy. Monday is the last day for him to sign a long-term deal meaning there are only a few more days where Barkley has any sort of leverage against the Giants.
The two sides have until 4 p.m. Monday to strike a deal. It’s important to note Barkley’s teammate Daniel Jones’ extension came down to the final moments before players were to be tagged in March.
Barkley has also added his marketing agency CAA to his contract negotiation, something similar to what Jones did prior to his contract being signed. He continues to be represented by Roc Nation, but also by NFL super agent Ed Berry, who he has worked with on the marketing side for the past five years.
It would behoove the two sides to strike a deal. Saquon Barkley is a a major factor in the New York offense and the focal point as well. Barkley has run for 1,000-plus yards in three of his five professional seasons with the two outliers being injury marred campaigns in 2020 and 2021.
